Images are typically created on a display by electrically addressing light, for example via a spatial light modulator, images are created and changed electronically and projected onto electronic displays. A spatial light modulator (SLM) is an object that imposes some form of spatially varying modulation on a beam of light. Usually a SLM modulates the intensity of the light beam, although devices are known that modulate the phase of the beam or both the intensity and the phase simultaneously. Nevertheless, known imaging devices rely on electronically addressing inputs. Such electrically addressed inputs realize practical limitations relative to scale. That is, for example, known electrically addressed imaging systems must use projection means of a certain minimum size or otherwise realize various system constraints relative to image delivery and performance. This inability to miniaturize imaging systems has restricted the advancement of imaging devices relative not only to size, but also in terms of intensity, resolution, color, etc.
In addition, the technology relating to the projection of realistic holograms to date has been cumbersome and not entirely useful or reliable. While so-called optically addressed imaging systems are known using optically addressable electrophoretic displays, or optically addressed spatial light modulation, such imaging systems also incorporate electrical components that, again, place scale, quality and other restrictions on the overall imaging system.